Swimming shoe



V. DAHLER SWIMMING SHOE Fil d July 1? 11922 A TTORA/EYS Patented Mar. 6, 1923.

VALENTINE DAHLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SWIMMING SHOE.

Application filed July 17,

To all w 7mm it may concern Be it known that I, VALENTINE DAHLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New Yorlgborough of the Bronx, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Swimming Shoe, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has relation to an accessory for swimming and seeks as its principal object to provide a swimming shoe which operates to augment the use of the legs and feet in propelling the swimmer through the water.

As a further object the invention contemplates a swimming shoe which includes hingedly connected blades which function to increase the propelling area of the foot during the rearward movement of the foot and leg and which are foldable during the forward movement thereof to decrease the area and eliminate resistance.

As a further object the invention aims to provide a swimming accessory or shoe which is extremely simple in its construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and which is strong, durable and light.

WVith the above recited and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel construction set forth in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the appended claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, it being understood that the right is reserved to embodiments other than those actually illustrated herein to the full extent indicated by the general meaning of the terms in which the. claim is expressed.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the shoe in its applied posit-ion.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same removed.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan View taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken approximately on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, 10 designates the body of the shoe which conforms substantially to the shape of an upper having front flaps 11 which are adjustable toward and away from each other and secured in adjusted position by a lace 12 which is passed through eyelets 13 in the flaps 11. The lower portion of the 1922. Serial No. 575,574;

upper 10 is connected by a loop '14 which is designed to extend under the instep of the foot. Within the upper edge of the upper 10 a stiffening strip 15 is secured and to the opposite sides of the upper edge thereof. a pair of side blades 16 are hingedly connected by the stitching 17 which secures the upper 10 and the stiffening strip 15 together. The blades 16 are of gradually increasing widths from their upper secured edge to the lower edge and the front and rear edges of said blades are secured to the upper by gus sets 18 which limit the opening or lateral swinging of the blades relative to the body 10. A. wire or stiffening element 19 is attached to each blade 16 to constitute a brace therefor.

In use and operation the device when applied to the foot in the manner of an ordinary shoe as illustrated in Fig. 1 and the swimmer in making the stroke with the foot automatically effects the lateral swinging of the blades 16 to open position, thereby appreciably increasing the area for acting upon the water during the rearward movement of the foot. As the foot is drawn forward, the blades will swing inward against the side of the foot and ankle to reduce the resistance to a maximum. The device will further function when treading water in a similar manner. The blades 16 together with the gussets 17 function as automatically opening and closing pockets when swimming or treading water, which in noway interfere with the user when making a dive or when floating. The device is preferably constructed from a rubberized fabric or other similar material which is light, yet strong and durable.

I claim:

A swimming accessory including a. body member of substantially split tubular formation, means for attaching the split ends of the body to each otheraround the ankle of the wearer, a depending loop at the lower end of said body adapted to extend. under the instep of the foot, folding blades hingedly connected to the upper edge of the body, and gussets secured respectively to the opposite edge .of each blade and to the body for limiting the lateral opening of the blades, said blades having secured to the free edges thereof a substantially U-shaped rigid brace for holding the same in dis tended condition.

VALENTTNE DAHLER. 

